Good morning.
The days of CVAs could be numbered, as the Insolvency Service appoints consultancy firm RSM to look into how landlords are treated in company voluntary arrangements. The BPF said it was a “necessary step” towards a full review of the controversial debt restructuring tool.
But the government’s relationship with the property industry is in tatters, says The FT(£), following botched planning reforms and demands last week that developers find £4bn to pay for the cladding crisis.
Meanwhile, the prime minister is expected to declare an end to Covid restrictions(£) later today, including scrapping the guidance to work from home.
A luxury penthouse flat on the edge of Regent’s Park in London is at the centre of a $131m legal battle(£) between Barclays and NMC Health tycoon Bavaguthu Raghuram Shetty.
Croydon Council has sold the hotel at the centre of its failed property plans to build-to-rent developer Amro Partners for £24m.
M7 has completed a £27.5m deal to buy West One Retail Park in Greater Manchester from Frogmore.
And The FT(£) takes a long look at Blackstone’s rent-to-buy play in the US.
Aldi has become the latest retailer to trial a checkout-free store(£), including facial recognition software to make sure you are old enough to buy booze.
InterContinental Hotels has named Deanna Oppenheimer(£) as its first female chair.
And Australian brewing giant Lion has decided it couldn’t give a XXXX about British craft ales, and plans to sell the Fourpure and Magic Rock breweries(£).
The government is no closer to providing fast broadband to rural areas(£) despite Boris Johnson’s levelling up rhetoric, say MPs. Just as well we won’t be working from home anymore!
But will your business be volunteering for a four-day week at full pay(£)?
Paris authorities have published a “manifesto for beauty” aimed at sprucing up the City of Lights.
Brighton’s bee bricks may not be a brilliant idea after all.
And finally, the London mews house at the centre of Virginia Giuffre claims against Prince Andrew is back on the market for £2.6m. A sale at that price will mean at least someone has done well out of the scandal. Ghislaine Maxwell sold the Belgravia property for just £1.75m last year to help pay her legal fees. She got 60 years in prison, the buyers will get an £850,000 profit.
